


I Am Nico.

by BlueJay_3



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: (Wrong fandom but still.), Coming Out, Fluff, Light Angst, Trans Nico di Angelo, Transitioning, no beta we die like ben
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:55:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24881929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueJay_3/pseuds/BlueJay_3
Summary: Since the age of 5, Nico has known: He is a boy, and always will be.Since the age of 10, no one has known: He is trans.At the age of 15, he finally tells: He is trans, and he needs help.Alternative Summary:Piper helps Nico through his transition.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Nico di Angelo & Jason Grace, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo & Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo & Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace
Comments: 13
Kudos: 165





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Really, the summary and tags say it all.  
> This was going to be like 5 chapters, but it got longer.  
> The fic is already written out, so I'll be able to post a chapter a day.  
> Hope you enjoy :)

_Venice, Italy. 1938._

“Bia! Stop telling people that!”

“Why not? It’s your name. Nicola, Nicola, Nicola. My sister’s name is Nicola!” Nico’s sister sang at the top of her lungs. He wanted to beat her up, but she was two years older, and Momma made them wear their best dresses for church today. Momma also told Nico no playing in the mud, no arguing with Bianca, no running around or wrestling, and - most importantly - no saying Nico was a boy.

“My name is Nico! Stop calling me that! My name is Nico, and I am a boy!” He didn’t care if he got in trouble for saying it again. He was, even if Bia called him sis and Momma named him Nicola and put him in fancy dresses.

“Bianca, please stop yelling. And, _Nicola!_ If you say that one more time, someone will think I am raising you wrong! Please, just shush for once. You can play pretend later at home.” Momma grabbed his hand tightly. “Sorry for my daughter’s, Mrs. Romano. Nicola is going through a phase. They’re both usually _better behaved,_ ” she nearly growled the last part at Bia and Nico. Nico refrained from arguing anymore as they left, opting to silently fume over everyone ignoring him.

As soon as they got home, he ran inside, quickly stealing Momma’s sewing scissors off the table and scurried to their bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Before Bianca could even get to the door and demand in, Nico yanked on his delicate braid of hair and chopped it as close to his head as he could. He knew it would look ugly, but at least he would look like a boy (as soon as he got out of his stupid dress).

* * *

_Lotus Hotel. Las Vegas, Nevada. Unknown Year._

“Bianca?”

“Yes, sorellina?” Bi prompted.

“Please don’t call me Nicola anymore. Or sorellina. Or pretty.” Nico was trying hard not to cry. Luckily it was late, and the lights had already been turned down. 

“I know you’re not girly, Nicky, but you’re still my adorable little sister. What else would I call you silly?”

Nico wished he was better with words. For as much as he talked, he could never get her to understand this. He tried for what seemed like the hundredth time. “Call me Nico, and I can be your brother, instead. No one has to know that my name was Nicola. Please, Bia.” He resisted the urge to tell her he already was her brother, and that his name was never Nicola.

She looked over at him. Even though she couldn’t have really seen how he was pleading, she must have heard it. She sighed. “If that is what you want,” she whispered, “I will tell people I have a brother named Nico, but you will always be my beautiful sister,” she finished with a smile.

A tear finally escaped, sliding down the side of his face. It would have to be good enough for now. “And Bia?” He paused for a beat. “I’m cutting my hair again tomorrow. It looks too girly.”

He heard a small giggle. “I’ll help you, Nicola. Nicky. Nico. Whatever. Last time you cut it yourself it didn’t go great.”

He sniffled quietly, ignoring the dismissiveness of his name. “Thanks, Bia.”

* * *

_Westover Hall. Bar Harbor, Maine. 2007._

When Percy Jackson saves Nico and Bianca, he never knows of Nicola. Nico wondered, if a real-life hero like Percy knew he used to be Nicola, would Nico ever have been rescued? Maybe he would be considered a monster like the manticore Percy killed. 

Or maybe, just maybe, a real-life hero like Percy Jackson wouldn’t mind and would like Nico as a boy anyway.

* * *

_Camp Half-Blood. Long Island, New York. 2007._

When Bianca died, there was no one left to call him Nicola, but that didn’t help anything.

He was the messed up one. Bianca should still be alive. Not him.


	2. I Am A Boy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico finally gets help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back to the present day, my friends. And here's a happier chapter for ya. The first one is actually the only angstyish one.  
> Enjoy!

_ Camp Half-Blood. Long Island, New York. January 28, 2011. _

Nico psyched himself up one last time before setting towards his destination. It was now or never.

Or at least, now or not tonight. It was getting close to curfew, and no matter how many wars you’d been through, harpies were still pretty damn scary.

He kept his head down during his walk, hoping he slightly blended in with the dark, now that the sun had set. Normally he’d be worried about his hair being too long to be masculine; now he was grateful it covered most of his face. 

When he arrived, he determinedly looked straight ahead at where he wanted, almost needed, to be. It’s not like he had walked far, considering he only went from cabin 13 to cabin 10, but the stark contrast between the two made them feel worlds apart.

Nico glared at the ugly pink that coated the outside of the aphrodite cabin. He hoped Piper decided that was one of the many things that needed improvement. As he made his way to the porch, he slowed both from fear and to slow the assault of cheap perfume. For children of the Goddess of beauty, he felt their style choices could use some work, but he supposed he really couldn’t judge.

Curling and uncurling his fists, he finally found it in himself to knock quietly, almost wishing no one would hear him. 

No such luck, he found, as he heard a young voice yell that she’d get it. When she finally opened the door and made eye contact, Nico could tell they were both anxiously holding their breath.

“Lacy! Who is it? Either tell them to come in or go away! You’re letting the bugs in!”

The girl- Lacy-continued her staring, so Nico, as the adult in the situation, finally decided to say something. “Hi.” He spit out. “Um, can I talk to Piper… please.” He stammered awkwardly. It’d been too long since his last real conversation with a living person, much less a child. At this point, he was just hoping she wasn’t going to run away screaming.

After far too long, she finally turned and disappeared, leaving Nico to wonder if he should do the same. He probably would’ve if he hadn’t heard the whispers from in the cabin. He decided he couldn’t take any offense when he heard a guy ask if Piper would be okay, but still found himself grateful when she said yes without hesitation. It would help a lot if she wasn’t scared of him.

A moment later she appeared around the corner. “Nico! I wasn’t sure if Lacy was joking. I wasn’t expecting you.” He probably should’ve chosen someone he talked to more. But then he risked losing someone he liked. But maybe Piper would tell everyone and he’d lose everyone he liked again. He opened his mouth to tell her nevermind, but couldn’t get the words out. “Nico? Are you okay? You look like you need to sit down. Do you need me to get Will?”

Nico jumped back to his senses then. “No, no, I’m sorry. I’m fine,” he bounced on his toes a little. “Can I tell you something? It’s kinda important and… I dunno I guess it’s not that important so if you don’t actually care that’s totally okay. I’m sorry; it’s really not something you should worry about actually.”

He took a panicked breath and nearly started again, only stopped by Piper grabbing his shoulder. He immediately grit his teeth and tried not to pull away.

“Nico, just breathe,” She seemed more calming now. He briefly wondered if she was using charmspeak, but quickly dismissed the thought. “How about we go to the back of the cabin. That way the others won't bother us and you can talk to me, okay?” Even though he wasn’t fond of the hand on his shoulder, Nico let her guide him to the back and into one of their ugly pink chairs. “The harpies can’t see us back here, either. Do you wanna tell me what’s up?” she prompted.

While sorting his actual thoughts, he accidentally whispered to the ground, “these are such ugly chairs.” His face immediately started burning as Piper let out a loud laugh. He looked up with wide eyes. “I’m so sorry. I- I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

“Sorry, sorry. Not what I was expecting, but you’re right,” she said. “Is that what you came here to talk about?” she asked with a smirk.

He felt his lip twitch slightly and used the momentary slip of joy to say what he needed. Nico jerked his head back up completely and made eye contact for the first time that night. “I am not a girl.”

Piper cocked her head and smiled awkwardly, “Okay?”

“No, I,” He paused, finding himself at a loss for words again. Fighting back tears, he finally said what he hadn’t told anyone. “My name was Nicola, in Venice.” He sniffled, hoping he didn’t look stupid. He forced himself to continue, looking past Piper and into the forest. “I wore- I had to wear dresses, like Bi, but I didn’t want to. I’m not a girl, I promise. I know it’s a real thing with a name now, but it wasn’t and people didn’t understand, and- please- please- just don’t tell anyone,” he turned to look her in the eye again.

This time instead of smiling or laughing, she was looking at him with a slight frown and furrowed eyebrows. Either sad, pitiful, confused, or pissed. Maybe he should’ve just kept it to himself until he could deal with it at eighteen.

“Nico?” She interrupted his thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“Can I hug you?” It wasn’t at all what Nico expected, so he just nodded, forgetting that she should hate him, or be scared, or something. Not caring. The second her arms were around him though, he started tearing up despite himself. He awkwardly brought his arms around her. “Thank you for telling me, Nico.”

He didn’t know what to say to that so he just let out a whispered “okay.”

“Was there a specific reason you told me,” she started as she stepped back, “or did you just need to tell someone?”

“I-” He sniffled again, “I want help with the, um- the actual medical stuff.” Piper looked like she was about to chime in, but he stopped her before she could. “I don’t want Will to deal with it. I’ve read a lot, and there’s a lot of specialists involved and I know Will’s amazing, but, I just, don’t want him to, I dunno. Know, I guess? And I trust him with a lot of things, but I want someone who’s better with the whole, um, the whole, uh, gender thingy, ya know? I just need- I mean, I would like- ugh, will you help me with this? Please?”

Piper brought her hand back to his shoulder, and he let her. “Nico, you are an amazing person, who has done amazing things, and you're basically my boyfriend's baby brother. I will gladly help you however I can. I’m proud of you, man. Is there anything I can do for you now?”

He took a moment to compose himself again. He figured if he avoided any sort of sentiment, he could get through without losing his mind or his courage. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Not tonight, but, if it’s not too much trouble, will you help me get a real binder? And help me schedule an appointment. I need some sort of recommendation from a therapist for hormones, and I suck at talking to people. If you change your mind though, you can always tell me to go away though. I won’t blame you,” he added at the end. After a lifetime of being told what to do, he never wanted to force someone else to do anything they didn’t want to do.

“Of course I’ll help you with that stuff, and I doubt I will ever change my mind. One small question though. If you aren’t using a binder, what are you using?”

Nico paused. He really hoped she wouldn’t have thought too much about that request. Quietly, and mildly embarrassed, he whispered “bandages?”

“Nico di Angelo!” She shouted. Seeing his look of panic she softened her voice. “Since you’ve read about it I’m sure you realize how dangerous that is. And I’ve never seen you without your poor excuse of a binder, I’m assuming you keep it on way too long, too. Gods, Nico, you can’t just do that to yourself.”

“Sorry,” he whispered again.

“No, don’t be sorry, idiot. Are you busy tomorrow?”

“No?”

“Good. I’ll get you from your cabin at noon. We’re getting you a binder tomorrow. No more bandages, understood?”

Nico smiled slightly. “Yes, ma’am.”

“You better get back before the harpies get you. Are you gonna be okay getting back?”

“I’ll be fine,” he said, standing up to leave. “And Piper,” he added before she went back inside, “Thanks.”

He was going to tell her that her support was the best birthday gift he could ask for, but he figured he’d keep that to himself for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed Nico being awkward.
> 
> Feel free to leave constructive criticism/feedback or just general reactions!  
> I need validation like I need air :)


	3. I Am Scared of Doctors.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico sees a therapist.

_ Dr. Ryan Stuart’s Office. Long Island, New York. February 15, 2011. _

“You ready Nico?”

“No.”

Piper laughed quietly. “I mean we could leave, but we did drive five hours to get here. Plus you still need this to get T.”

Nico grumbled. “Don’t want to leave. Just don’t like doctors. They’re weird. And this one wants to talk about feelings.”

“It shouldn’t be too bad. Roman’s are typically quick to the point. Once we explain your situation it should be a quick and painless visit. Plus, I’m pretty sure you don’t hate  _ all _ doctors,” she teased.

While he hated doctors and hated the long process to find one that would both understand any demigod related issues and accept him despite his lack of legal existence, he was grateful they found one who matched all their criteria. As a bonus, Dr. Stuart hadn’t been involved with the wars, so he didn’t even know who Nico was beyond a patient.

They waited in comfortable silence. As comfortable as it could be when Nico was bouncing his leg and repeatedly fiddling with his ring, at least.

The employee that called seemingly countless other names popped her head out from the door that led to the rest of the building. “Nico?” She asked, glancing around the waiting room, her eyes settling on him when he started to stand. “If you would come with me, Dr. Stuart is ready for you.” Upon seeing Nico glance back at Piper in a mild panic, she added “you can bring your girlfriend with you if you’d like, hon.”

Nico felt heat rise to his face in embarrassment while Piper laughed again. “Do you want me to go?” She asked instead of correcting her. He nodded wordlessly and turned to follow the lady.

She led them down a hall and into a room furnished with a large desk, three chairs, and a small couch. It seemed excessive, but, then again, he didn’t really know all the work that therapists did. For all he knew, Dr. Stuart held a fight club in here to let aggression out. The thought made him smile at the ground.

“Hello, I’m assuming you’re young Nico, then. I’m Dr. Stuart, but you can call me Ryan,” a man greeted as he maneuvered around the desk, holding out his hand. Nico noted his appearance as he shook it and nodded. He looked similar to a lot of the older Roman demigods he had met: perfect posture, just fit enough to handle a stray monster, and clearly had the potential to be intimidating as hell, even if it wasn’t showing now. He couldn’t have been more than 40, but grey was mixed into his hair. “And who’s the lovely lady you’ve brought along?”

Piper stepped in before he was forced to respond. “I’m Piper,” she said, shaking his hand. “I’m his brother’s girlfriend.” Nico thanked the gods for her clarification. “I’m just here for moral support.”

“Nice, good to see you have someone already in your corner. Go ahead and sit anywhere,” he directed as he settled into one of the soft chairs. In awkward desperation, he grabbed the end of Piper’s jacket and pulled as he nodded at the couch. Luckily she got the message and didn’t seem to judge.

“Alright, so we got the gist when we scheduled, but why don’t you go ahead and tell me what brought you here so I can officially put it in my notes.”

Mercifully, Piper had helped him rehearse saying this, so he wouldn’t word vomit and cry again. “I’m trans,” he declared with more confidence than he expected, “and I want to start medically transitioning. “

“Perfect. Straight to the point. I like it. And, just because I’m obligated to ask a few questions, when did you start questioning and when did you come to this conclusion?”

He resisted the urge to say ‘the 1930s’. “I don’t remember specifically, but by the time I was six I was constantly yelling at my family to stop calling me a girl.”

“And have they been supportive of you?”

The question caught him off guard even though it was one Piper mentioned. “They passed before I was old enough to be taken seriously.”

Dr. Stuart furrowed his eyebrows slightly. “And your adoptive or foster family?”

“I did not have one. I grew up bouncing between Camp Half-Blood and Jupiter. And I don’t even know if my dad remembers that I, ya know- I’m trans.”

“Doesn’t remember you’re a man or doesn’t remember you were assigned female at birth?”

“Second one.”

“I wish I couldn’t say that’s unsurprising for a Godly parent to forget, but at least he didn’t forget that you’re a man. Is anyone else aware and supportive that you’re trans?”

“Just Piper and two other friends, out of necessity.” At Piper’s curious glance, he added “Reyna and Hedge,” to which she nodded in understanding. “Neither of them worried about it besides about me binding. We had a lot of bigger issues at the time. It hasn’t really come up since.”

“Okay, and lastly, do you plan to make future appointments with myself or another therapist to help with your transition? We usually recommend this, but seeing your certainty and comfort with being trans, even if you've been ‘going stealth’ for years,” he even used finger quotes, which seemed weird to Nico, but also understandable.

“I don’t plan to. I really just want the recommendation letter,” he admitted.

“Alright, no problem. Just know you can always change your mind. Do you know which doctor you’re seeing to get your HRT?”

He looked to Piper, knowing she had been looking into it more than he had recently. “We don’t know for certain yet. We were deciding between Dr. Stevenson and Dr. Millbury. Did you have a recommendation?” She sounded like such an adult in comparison to Nico. It was impressive.

“It doesn’t say it on her site, but I recently discovered Millbury is a daughter of Apollo, so I’d say she’s your best bet. If you want to fill out a little paperwork at the front desk, I can share your file with her. I’ll also ensure that she’ll ignore your legal inexistence, so you won’t even have to worry about the mist not covering that.”

“That makes my job easier,” Piper joked. “But yeah, as long as you’re okay with that, it sounds good,” she said, looking at Nico. He nodded in agreement.

“Is that everything then?” He directed at Dr. Stuart.

“That’s everything. I’ll just have you fill out the paperwork on the way out. And, I should mention, the fee for this appointment has already been waived. I may not have fought directly in the wars, but I’ve still heard what you did, Nico. Consider this a small way of paying you back.”

Normally, Nico would deflect and give credit to anyone but himself, but he really did want to save up his money. Even if his dad was the God of riches, knowing of Hazel’s curse turned him away from ever asking his dad for financial help. “Thank you. You do not know how much that means to me,” he admitted honestly. Any show of support was incredible to him.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Di Angelo. And you as well, Miss Piper,” he said as he opened the door for them to leave.

Nico nodded as a goodbye, followed by Piper. “The pleasure was ours, Ryan.” She was so damn personable, he thought as they left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed :)
> 
> Again, feedback, comments, and Kudos are always greatly appreciated.


	4. I Am Getting Stabbed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's T time, my friends.

_ Dr. Robin Millbury’s Office. Long Island, New York. February 24, 2011. _

The floor of Jules-Albert’s car was suddenly very interesting, Nico decided. He debated taking another minute or hour to look at it instead of going in, but was cut off by Piper’s hand waving in front of him.

“Yooo, earth to Nico,” she sang. “It’s time to go innn.”

He took one large breath - three seconds in, three seconds out - and turned his ring once around. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go,” he said, pulling himself from the car. “Thanks, Jules.”

“So Nico,” Piper started as they walked in. “You know what time it is?”

“Time for you to get a watch.” Gods, Nico hated his automatic responses sometimes.

“What? No. Bro, it’s T time! Get it? Like, ya know, time to drink tea, but it’s actually testosterone time! Get it, get it, get it? I’m so funny.”

Nico gave her a blank look. He turned his head down, shook it in disappointment, and looked in the eyes again. “If you ever say anything so gods damn stupid again, I swear I will never talk to you again.”

“Hey, it was funny and you know it.”

“I hate you,” he replied, but he still couldn’t help but smirk at her dumb humor. “Go get us checked in… Bitch,” he added, testing the waters.

“Fine, Dickwad.” She stuck her tongue out at him and walked to the front window.

Fifteen minutes later, he was seated on one of the strange beds with the white paper that every doctor seemed to have while Piper sat in a small plastic chair in the corner that looked like it was made for a seven-year-old. He briefly wondered if all doctors forced their patients to wait an eternity.

After a long and indeterminable amount of time, a smiley old woman practically glided in the room. “Nico Di Angelo, I presume,” she directed at him.

“That’s me,” he croaked. He hoped his anxiety wasn’t terribly visible.

“So this should be fairly quick and painless, dear. We’ve already got all your paperwork from Dr. Stuart - such a nice gentleman isn’t he? We’re overlooking the part where you don’t legally exist, as requested. So that brings us straight to the big question: do you want to start hormone replacement therapy, Nico?”

This is what he had come here for. The question brought him both an immense amount of joy and overwhelming anxiety. He twisted his ring twice and nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

“I had a feeling that’s what you would say. So I’m assuming you’ve read about it, hopefully extensively. But either way, our informed consent policy requires me to go through any and all effects of taking testosterone, as well as the various options for taking it.” Nico nodded in acceptance as she began pulling out a stack of papers. “So I’m just getting you some notes on everything so you can read along as I talk, sound good?”

“Mhmm,” he agreed as she began a long spiel of everything he would ever need to know about testosterone, both in doctor terms and normal people words.

After nearly ten minutes of speaking with almost no breaks for air and checking if he had questions, she finally asked what he’d been waiting for.

“So, now that that’s over, how would you like to go about your HRT, Nico?”

His plan remained the same over the past few months when he realized this was a real possibility, but it still scared him shitless. “I think I want to go with the injections, ma’am. Just considering cost and effectiveness, that seems to be the best option.”

“Perfect! It’s what we recommend, but I always want my patients to have a say. You’ve made my job a little easier today,” she responded with a smile. “So we’re going to start you on a bit of a lower dose, just so we can make sure we’re not overdoing it, and we’ll see how well your body reacts. So if that’s alright with you dear, the only thing left is for me to write your prescription and show you how to do self-injections!”

How she sounded so cheery when talking about stabbing himself, he had no idea, but for once, he appreciated the optimism. While he wasn’t a fan of admitting it, he found needles to be more terrifying than empousas, and he hated the shit out of those. Nevertheless, he nodded again in agreement.

“Now I’m going to apologize in advance here, but I will need you to pull down your pants just enough for me to inject into your upper thigh. If you can do that while I go ahead and grab a needle and your first dose, that would be great, dear.”

As she turned around, Nico turned to Piper in panic. She’d been silent in her corner for the entire visit, but now he needed her. “Hey,” she whispered. “You’ll be fine Neeks. I’ll turn around so you can have privacy but I’ll be right here.”

While he appreciated silent support, he finally gave in and risked sounding like a scared little kid. “Piper?” He started, his voice even quieter than hers.

“Hmm?”

“Will you- Can I- I really really hate needles. Can I hold your hand?” He wasn’t even sure how she heard his request.

“Of course. I’ll turn around, but my hand’s right here, okay? It’s totally okay to be freaked out by needles. My dad even passed out from seeing one once. It was hilarious, but no one really judged him for it, and I won’t judge you either.

“Thank you,” he whispered as she turned to face the wall. He quickly and awkwardly wiggled his jeans down enough that he had a small patch of skin exposed, and desperately grabbed Piper’s hand, periodically squeezing it for comfort as Dr. Millbury went through the process. After she finally finished with the actual shot, he released her hand, mildly embarrassed, but also immensely grateful.

“Okay, I trust you know how to put a little bandaid over that spot, so I’ll let you do that and get decent again,” she said as she turned around to get rid of the needle. He tapped on Piper’s shoulder to let her know she could turn around again. “Alrighty, Nico. If you have no further questions and you feel alright to get up and walk- I know some people get woozy when they deal with needles - then it looks like you are just about good to go. And, as requested, I’ll be sending that prescription to the pharmacy near camp, but not to camp, correct?”

“Yep. Definitely not to camp, please.”

“Okay then, Deary. You should have no trouble picking that up on your way back, then. You two have an absolutely wonderful day, and don’t forget to schedule that lab work for six weeks out to make sure everything is going well.”

“Will do, ma’am,” Piper chipped in, saving Nico from another tired head nod. Who knew a little shot would be this emotionally exhausting? “Ready Nico?”

“Mmm. Let’s go. I need a nap.”

“Of course you do, Sleeping Beauty.”

“Mmm.” He wasn’t even sure if he was agreeing or objecting at this point. All he knew was that he was getting somewhere, and he needed to throw Piper twenty thousand amazing parties with awesome cakes to thank her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Piper loves puns.  
> Also, Piper's dad passing out is based on a true story about my dad.
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed, and feedback is always welcome :)


	5. I Am Crying.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper has a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, there is quite a bit of a time jump here (around six months)

_ Camp Half-Blood. Long Island, New York. August 26, 2011. _

“Nico, why do I feel like you’re stealing my girlfriend now that you finally hit puberty? You hurt my feelings, bro.”

“Jay, you know as well as I do that me stealing your girl is never going to happen for many, many reasons.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,” Percy loudly interrupted, between large bites of blue pancakes. “Why are Piper and Nico a problem now? Nico, bro. Don’t be a homewrecker. Not cool. Not cool at all, bro.”

“Oh, Hades. Look what you did, now. You dragged Percy into it.”

He raised his hands up in defense. “Wouldn’t’ve had to if you two didn’t make me a sad third wheel.”

Down the table, Leo snapped his head towards them. “Oh really!  _ You’re  _ a third wheel. Man, I wonder how that feels, Mr. Lonely. I was on a ship with only  _ couples _ . Couples, Jason!” 

On the far side of Leo, Calypso finally decided to take action. “Leo, dear, please stop. I’m your matching wheel now, love.”

His face morphed from his dramatic fake frown to a soft smile. “That’s so damn cheesy,” he mumbled as he turned to face her again.

Nico brought his focus back to his side of the table. “Anyways, Piper’s just helping me out with a few things. I promise I won't drag her to the underworld. You’ll get her back eventually.”

“Suspiciously worded, but I suppose I’ll trust you… for now.”

Nico had to roll his eyes at that and went back to eating. He wasn’t lying really. He was close to six months on HRT, so the doctor’s appointments and blood tests would be slowing down soon, so when Piper wasn’t accompanying him all the time, she would have plenty of time and energy to hang out with Jason without having to be gone for entire days at a time while they drove the five hours to his now regular clinic. (He would shadow travel, but with all the recent changes and the fact that he was  _ still  _ recovering from the war, he chose to abstain.) 

On top of all that, it seemed like she had been avoiding him for the past week, so she probably just needed a break from him. He wouldn’t blame her. He was being a little clingy, at least by his own standards. It was hard not to be when she was the only one who knew that this was actually his second round of puberty, and she always gave him an outsider’s view of his progress. There were some qualities obvious to him, like his jump in height - 5’3” to 5’6” and still growing - and general voice cracks. Piper helped him realize the gradual things, too. The comment she made a lot was how much more happy and confident he appeared. When he asked, she also reassured him that even his long hair looked masculine, so he had no problem keeping it long enough to be tied back.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t even notice Piper running to their already crowded table. When he did see her, he assumed she was likely just really hungry, so he was shocked when she breezed past her normal and currently available seat and came towards his end. 

“Nico!” She panted before crouching slightly, putting her hand up by her mouth and leaning in like she was going to tell him a secret. “ _ Schedule your top surgery, _ ” she whispered. He stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded, while she leaned back with a huge smile. It took him a moment to process what she had just told him to do, but when he did, he grabbed her arm so quickly and tightly he was sure he had scared the shit out of everyone with the exception of Piper. He shot up and dragged into the nearest shadow, disappearing into the nether.

When they reemerged behind the pavilion, he continued staring in shock. He felt his eyes start watering. “Really?”

“Really.”

At her confirmation, it was like a dam broke, he started sobbing. Despite his gross emotions, he pulled her into a tight hug, crying into her shoulder. “Sorry,” he whispered. “I’m being disgusting right now.

“Oh, Neeks, you’re fine. I figured something like this would happen. I was going to wait until you had a moment alone, but as soon as I figured out, I couldn’t stop myself from telling you the moment I could.

He sniffled after a moment, hoping the waterworks were finally coming to an end, and let go. “Ugh, still sorry,” he said again as he wiped the tears from his face. “How?” 

“I convinced my dad that it was for a great cause, because it is, ya know? And, don’t worry, Neeks, I never told him any details about you or the situation. Didn’t even use charm speak, either.”

He finally looked her in the face again. “Thank you, Piper. You are amazing,” he responded sincerely. “Can- Can I hug you again? Sorry.”

“Hades, Nico. You don’t need to be apologetic for wanting affection. Especially from me. Come here,” she said holding her arms open. After a moment he let go. ‘Okay, so you’ll actually have to schedule a consultation first, but I don’t think we should have a hard time scheduling that or the actual surgery for some time within the next month or so, if you’re ready.”

“Fuck yeah, I’m ready,” He said, composing himself. 

“It’s too late today, but I can meet you in your cabin tomorrow morning to schedule?”

“That’d be amazing, Pi-” He was cut off by a shout.

“Found them!” Looking towards the source, he found Percy, followed by Jason and Will, running at them.

“Hang on, I got this,” Piper murmured. “Guys! I’m so sorry for the scare. I thought I saw some Hermes kids breaking into his cabin, he just panicked a little and shadow traveled us there. No one was there, though.”

Percy and Will immediately nodded. “Cool. Yeah, makes sense. Guess we didn’t have to freak out about it,” Percy replied.

“Fine, I’ll let the shadow traveling go this time. Just, for Hades sake Nico, don’t overdo it please,” Will added.

“Barely did anything,” he muttered in response.

“Yeah, guys, how ‘bout you head back to eat. I’m just gonna talk to Pipes real quick.” Jason chimed in.

“Mm ‘kay,” one of them said as they turned to go back.

“Alright, so if you thought someone had broken into his cabin, why were you smiling so much? And how’d you two end up back here?” he directed at Piper.

“I wasn’t smiling, babe. Maybe you’re remembering wrong. And Nico just missed when he was bringing us back. He’s still out of practice.”

Nico could feel her charm speak radiate from her voice so strongly he was nearly convinced, but he still felt guilty for making her blatantly lie.

“Come on, Pipes. I know your charmspeak when I hear it. Nico, do you have a better lie to tell me?” Jason sounded genuinely upset now, increasing his guilt tenfold.

“I’m sorry, Jay. I promise I’ll explain later. Just, for now, please understand I can’t tell you, okay? I’ll also explain why I’ve been hogging your girlfriend, assuming she doesn’t mind,” he added with a glance towards her.

“You sure?” She mouthed, to which he nodded.

Jason sighed. “Okay. I trust you guys. I know you’d never hurt anyone, and I’m sorry I got upset. Just being a little overprotective of you both, I guess. As long as neither of you plans to go on some big quest without me, I’m sure we’ll all be fine.”

“Thanks, Jay. If neither of you mind, I think I’m gonna head in early. See you in the morning.”

“Alright, have a good night Neeks.”

“Night,” Piper added as he turned away.

Nico probably wouldn’t be able to sleep for a little while yet, but he wanted time to really process what had just happened and his excitement about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm considering revising and expanding this at some point in the future. Right now I'm just projecting and focusing very heavily on the transition process because I can't do it myself yet.
> 
> So yeah, any suggestions, feedback, or general comments are super awesome :)


	6. I Am Preparing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's consultation time, baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: Before writing this chapter, I'd been writing a chapter a day. Right before getting home to write this one, I got into a car accident and had an hour-long panic attack :)  
> (Everyone was okay btw)
> 
> Anyways enjoy:)

_ Office of Dr. Amy Doyle. Long Island, New York. September 13, 2011. _

“Oh my gods,” Nico blurted. “I’m gonna have to take off my shirt. Piper,” he stared wide-eyed at her. “I don’t want to do that.”

“Okay, first of all, we’ve known this. You’ve known this for a long time. We have discussed this at length. You. Will. Be. Okay. Okay?”

“Hmph.”

“It’s just today, then right before they chop ‘em off. That’s all it is. You’ll get to walk around without a shirt all the time after.”

He pursed his lips. “This is true.”

“You’re gonna be okay, Neeks.”

“Yeah, I guess. We still have like an hour left, right?”

“Mhmm”

“Wake me up when we’re closer, then.” Out of what had become a habit for their long car rides, he laid down and rested his head on her leg. After six months with multiple long trips together, he had finally given in and made an exception to his no touching rule. First, it had been the hug the first night, then holding her hand during his first T shot, then eventually using each other as a pillow during their car rides.

Before slipping into unconsciousness, he briefly wondered if his sisters or Reyna would be jealous if they knew. Probably not. They always just wanted him to be happy.

*****

Nico woke to a hand shaking his shoulder.

“Oh, Nicooo.”

He grunted as he struggled to sit up. “Hmm?”

“Neeks, we’re here. It’s time to talk about never having to wear your binder again.”

“Nice,” he whispered quietly. He loved that she considered his aversion to referencing his unfortunate anatomy when talking about these things.

Piper handed over a wad of cash to the waiting driver and thanked him. They shuffled their way out the door of the cab and into the humidity. After a short walk, they arrived at the medical complex the surgeon worked at and made their way inside. 

Unsurprisingly, the waiting room was nearly identical to every other one they’d been in together, full of cushioned yet horribly uncomfortable chairs and people situating themselves as far away from each other as they can. The check-in and the receptionist looked the same too, he noted as he walked up. Piper went straight to sitting down, now that he’d finally learned how to check-in without looking and sounding like an incredibly awkward little kid.

“Hello, sir. How can I help you today?” The girl at the desk asked in an unnatural customer-service voice. She, like many other receptionists he’d seen, had poorly dyed supposed-to-be highlights. Then again, he wasn’t in a position to judge other people’s hair when his own was still constantly messy.

“I’m here for a three o’clock appointment with Dr. Doyle. Last name is Di Angelo.”

“Alrighty, let me see… Nico?” He nodded. “I’ll let her know you’re here and she’ll come to get you when she’s ready.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem, hon.”

Before he even reached Piper, the office door swung open. “Nico?” He turned to face the person who spoke, finding a short and plump middle-aged lady. “I’m actually ready for you now if you are.”

Nico nodded. “I can bring my friend back, right?”

“Of course, of course. If you two will just follow me, we’re going to go right around the corner to room three.” They entered the small room, set up as a standard clinic room, with a bed, two shitty chairs, and a small desk for the staff.

“Okay, so you are looking to get top surgery correct? Referred to me by Dr. Ryan Stuart?”

“Yep.”

“And just to clarify, you go to the camp at the Northern shore of Long Island?”

“Yeah,” He responded, knowing she was really checking that he was a demigod.

“Oh, wonderful. I haven’t been there in forever. Who’s your Godly parent, if you don't mind me asking?” She asked as she maneuvered onto a stool that seemed to pop out of nowhere.”

He debated not telling her, but decided he wouldn’t want to go under the knife of someone if they hated his lineage. “Uh, it’s Hades, actually.”

“Wow, one of the big three. Wasn’t expecting that. Don’t think I’ve ever met any of you before.”

At least he didn’t have to worry about her hating him. “There’s not really many of us.”

“No, I suppose not. Anyways, enough of the small talk. So, important question: have you already done some research to know the gist of the different types of surgeries?”

“Yeah, um. I think I’m being kind of optimistic, but I was hoping that keyhole surgery would work. Considering my small size and the typical results, it at least makes sense to me.”

“Well, we can certainly consider a possibility, but I do have to get a good idea of what your chest currently looks like, that okay?”

He swallowed loudly, but whispered softly, “Yeah.” He turned to Piper in a silent request.

“Want me to leave, Neeks?” She asked. Maybe he should have actually spoken his request.

“Please don’t.” He hoped he didn’t sound desperate. “Just turn around, please.”

“Okay, I’ll be right here then,” she reassured as she turned and faced the door.

“I’ll turn if you could just remove your top and binder if you’re wearing one.” The doctor piped in.

He nodded and she turned away as well. Quickly, he stood to pull off his shirt and go through the task of removing his binder, wiggling it down his body until he got it past his shoes. He set his clothes beside him and covered himself with his arms. “Okay.”

Dr. Doyle turned back to him, seeming to switch officially to working mode. “Alright Nico, can you lower your arms and sit up straight for me?”

“Mhmm.” He did as he was told, and did his best to tune out much of the experience, trusting Piper to keep track of what he missed. If he tried to focus too much at the moment he would start panicking.

After what felt like an hour, he was given permission to put his binder and shirt back on, which he did quickly, following it up by tapping on Piper’s shoulder to let her turn around. “Sounds like keyhole surgery then?” She asked on the surface. Underneath she meant ‘yes, she agreed keyhole surgery is the way to go.’

“Yeah,” he responded, really meaning ‘thank you for paying attention while I tried not to freak out.’

The preliminary decision was followed by another twenty minutes of explaining the surgery in full detail, including the benefits, risks, and downsides, as well as double-checking every step of the way that this is what he wanted. It was.

“Alright then, Nico. The last thing left is for you to schedule your surgery. So you’ll just go ahead back out into the hall, around the corner, then go ahead and stop at the desk there to schedule. Unless you have any more questions, I’m going to stay here and finish up the last of the paperwork. Oh! And for legal purposes, you were accompanied by your step-sister, Piper Smith, and have had everything approved by your father, Mr. Hayden Di Angelo.”

Nico let out a small chuckle, internally questioning if all these little lies would one day catch up to him. “Thank you, Dr. Doyle,” he responded on his way out, hearing Piper repeat the sentiment as she followed him.

Nico grabbed Piper’s hand as they finally scheduled his top surgery, trying to convey his anxiety, excitement, and appreciation in one little hand squeeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I've mentioned, comments/feedback/suggestions/kudos are all super duper awesome.


	7. You Are Loved.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gettin' ready to yeet the teet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, sorry for the late post. Work schedule changed slightly today.  
> Anyway, I'm super excited for y'all to read this for this chapter because Nico is a happy derp.
> 
> Also, please note it is in Piper's POV.

_Office of Dr. Amy Doyle. Long Island, New York. September 27, 2011._

_Piper_

Nico was already giggling before they administered any time of anesthesia, but now he was drugged up and excited, reminding Piper of how Annabeth described a 10-year-old Nico.

“Piiiper. Piper. Piper guess what.” He looked at her expectantly with a goofy little grin and raised eyebrows. Before she could respond, he interrupted, “You waited too long. Imma tell you. Piper, I love you.”

She chuckled. “I love you too, buddy.”

“Mmm Piperrr, I’m seri- seriii - seriiiious. C’mere, c’mere. Hold, hold ma hand,” he requested, making a grabby motion with the hand not near the IV. She humored him and held it, squeezing as she did. “Piper, you are one of the bestest sisters I have. Wait, no.” He stopped with furrowed brows. “No no no no noooooo, Piper can’t be my sister if Jason’s my brother. Mmmm, fuck. Nasty. Yucky.”

“How about I be your friend?”

He scoffed. “I don’t have friends, silly.”

“So I’m not your friend?”

“No! I have no friends. You areeee… You’re mmmy… bestie?”

It was difficult to stop smiling at his antics. “Alright, I can be your bestie. Then what’s Jason, if you have no friends?”

“He my bro, duhh.”

“And Annabeth”

“Hmm. No friends, sooo, she is… my smartie. I hate smarties though. You won’t make me eat smarties, right? And Annie won’t?

“We won't make you eat smarties.”

“Awesomeee. I do like chocolate though. Can we get cake after? When we’re done?”

“We can get cake anytime.”

“Blue. Blue cake. Like Percy’s cake. Before, uh, the, first one. Before everyone fell asleep. I accidentally visited Percy when he was having blue cake. That’s the last time I ate it. Pipes, I wanna blue cake.”

Piper nodded before it really clicked in her head. Nico was referring to before the first war he fought in. Annabeth had told her a little, including how most of New York had been unconscious. Nico hadn’t eaten cake in a criminally long time, she concluded. “Blue cake it is, Neeks.” She noticed his eyes slowly drooping. “You should sleep, bud.”

“Mhmm.” Then he blinked rapidly like he was trying to wake himself up. “Wait. I gotta tell you, and you gotta tell them, ‘kay? Ready? I love you. And I love Jason, and I love Percy, and Reyna, and Leo, and Piper, and Hazzzel, and Bia, and Frank, n’ Annie, n’- and birds, n’ the ground, aaan… yeah. Yeah. They’re all my buddies. Yeah.”

Noting his eyes drooping once again and his unfocused gaze, she chose not to point out that he mentioned her twice, once in the third person. She smiled, squeezing his hand one last time before he went completely under. “I’ll tell your buddies, Neeks. They love you, too.”

Before she had even finished her thought, he had completely closed his eyes, and only let out a quiet hum when she stopped talking. She stayed by his side until a nurse came back in. 

“Did he fall asleep?” The nurse asked.

“Yeah, need me to leave?”

“Yes, sorry. If you plan on staying during the duration of the operation, feel free to sit in our waiting room and we can have someone come out to get you, okay? The average time is between an hour and a half to four hours, just so you know.”

“I plan to stay. Thank you,” Piper responded before heading back to the large waiting room, complete with TVs on the walls playing reruns of _Wheel of Fortune_. She would sit here watching shitty daytime TV for a week if it was for her little brother. 

Before she sat, she remembered the two important calls she needed to make: an IM to Jason and a phone call to _the_ Sally Jackson, who’d she’d only met briefly, but was probably the closest Nico had to a normal parent and was the only contact in Nico’s crappy little flip phone that he rarely used. She was fairly certain its only purpose _was_ to call Sally.

Piper chose the easier of the two calls first, heading into a small room upstairs. With demigods in mind, the room was built specifically for private Iris messages. She turned the water on, so it sprayed in such a way it would easily hit the light at the right angle to create a rainbow.

Piper said a quick prayer to Iris and dropped her drachma in, waiting for Jason to appear. When he did, he was sitting at the desk in his cabin, examining what were most likely blueprints for shrines. Upon seeing her, he jumped and let out a manly screech. “Pipes! Gods, you scared me. Is everything going good there? Is Nico with you?”

“No worries, Sparky. Everything’s fine. I just came from Nico’s room. The anesthesia knocked him out, so they finally took him back to the operating room. You know what that means right?”

“It means I better get my butt there within the next hour?”

“With?”

He smiled at her and rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, I didn’t forget the plan.”

“Alright, then who gets to know what?”

“I get to know what he’s told me and what the surgery is for. Reyna, though she won’t be there in person, knows about him being trans, but he’s surprising her with the top surgery. Will and Percy are being told nothing except that we’re visiting Nico and that he is perfectly fine. We’re assuming Will can figure it out when he sees Nico post-op considering the drains and binder, and we’ll laugh at Percy when he doesn’t get it. Did I get it all?” he asked with raised eyebrows.

Piper smiled at him. “And what are you gonna when you get here?”

He furrowed his brows. “Wait… with you?”

Rolling her eyes, she clarified, “You’re gonna give me a big ass hug because I love you.”

“Well, I didn’t think I had to state the obvious,” he said, mocking offense.

“Okay, I gotta go make another call before it’s too late.”

“Okay, I love you, Pipes.”

“Love you too, Sparky.”

Piper swiped her hand through the rainbow, cutting their connection, and took a moment to appreciate how amazingly her boyfriend, who’d literally been raised by wolves, accepted Nico as he was, no questions asked. Next, she opted to keep the privacy of the closed-off room. Begging for decent reception, she pulled out Nico’s phone and found Sally’s number. Thank gods Nico found no reason to lock his phone. She clicked on the call icon, and only waited for a ring and a half before a kind woman’s voice came through the phone.

“Nico! I was hoping to hear from you soon! How’s everything going, dear? Are you still visiting in the evening with your friends?”

After the warm greeting, Piper felt kind of bad for letting Sally assume she was going to be talking to Nico. “Hi, Sally? This is Piper. We met briefly-”

“Is Nico okay?”

“Yes, yes, sorry. I was actually just calling to request something. We’re actually celebrating something for Nico today, and I was wondering if - and if you can’t it’s totally fine - you’d be willing to make some cake? If not we can just buy a box cake and make it, it’s absolutely no big deal. Nico was just talking about not eating cake since he’d visited you and had eaten blue cake with Percy a few years back, so I’m trying to get some cake for him as a surprise.”

She heard light laughter on Sally’s end before she said, “Of course I can, sweetie. I was planning to do something today anyways, so cake it is! What is it you’re celebrating?”

Despite all the planning she’d done, somehow she hadn’t prepared for this question. “Oh, well. Um. I mean, if Nico hasn’t told you yet, then I wouldn’t want to go behind his back. But I’m sure he’ll tell you when we get there, if that’s okay?”

“Sure! Just to double-check, there’s going to be five of you, right? You, Nico, Percy, Jason, and… Will, was it?”

“Yeah, just us five, I promise.”

“If it weren’t for living in an apartment, I would gladly let everyone from camp in.”

Piper let out a large grin and shook her head. Sally really was too nice. “You are amazing, Miss Jackson. I understand why so many demigods talk so highly of you.”

“Oh please, I just can’t help but fall in love with them. And I think I’d do anything to see little Nico smile. I should probably let you get back to what you were doing, dear.” After a moment of silence, she heard wailing on the line. “And I suppose I should go see what Estelle wants. I’ll see you tonight, alright?”

“Yes. Thank you so much, Miss Jackson. I know Nico is super excited to see you.”

“Aww, tell him I can’t wait to see him.”

“Will do. Bye.”

“Bye, hon.”

She hung up, quietly celebrating. She couldn’t wait for Nico to wake up. Hopefully, he’d still want cake and attention by then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters left!  
> Thanks to all who have been reading, commenting, and giving kudos.  
> I seriously love y'all, and I hope everyone is enjoying.


	8. You Are Happy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teets are yeeted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh Nico is still super happy derp.  
> This chapter was really fun to write, so hopefully it's fun to read, too

_ Office of Dr. Amy Doyle. Long Island, New York. September 27, 2011. _

_ Jason _

If Nico hadn’t told him, Jason would’ve never realized he was trans. Even though he had, Nico would always be his little brother. Now, waiting with Piper, Percy, and Will for him to wake up, he realized how happy he was for Nico.

Just in the past six months, he’d grown close to Piper and considered her one of his best friends, he finally went through the right puberty, he smiled so much more, and now he was making another huge step to make himself happier.

Unfortunately for Will and Percy, they had no idea what they were here for, but after an hour of waiting, they finally stopped questioning and begging for explanations, somewhat reassured when he and Piper insisted Nico was okay, and he was here for a good reason. Now, despite their obvious anxiety just a half-hour ago, they were watching  _ Wheel of Fortune _ , yelling out the answers and getting angry whenever a contestant got it wrong. Who knew that’s something they’d bond over - besides caring for Nico, of course.

He wasn’t paying attention to the passing nurses, doctors, and receptionists until one walked directly towards their group. “Piper?” She asked.

He looked towards his girlfriend as she nodded, looking mildly nervous. At this point, Will and Percy had turned their attention to the nurse as well.

“Your step-brother has just woken up. He’ll be groggy and loopy, but you can visit him if you’d like.”

Before Piper could ask, Jason jumped in, “Are we allowed in, too?” At her skeptical look, he added “We’re his cousins.” Technically, it was not a lie.

The nurse bit her lip and her eyebrows turned downward. “Look, he’s really not supposed to have more than two visitors at a time, but I’ll overlook it this time. Just don’t be rowdy.” 

Jason nodded. “Of course. We would never.”

She looked at Percy and Will, both on the edge of their seats like they were watching an action movie. “Of course not. Anyways, y’all can just follow me, and I can walk you to his room.”

The nurse led them up the elevator and through multiple plain white hallways before stopping at a door, simply marked with a whiteboard with ‘Nico’ written on it. “Please, for the love of gods, no messing around, and no - in any way, shape, or form - roughhousing.”

He mentally took note of her use of ‘gods’, but didn’t mention it. “Thank you, ma’am. We’ll be careful.”

After one last skeptical look, she turned and walked away. As soon as she was out of sight around the corner, Percy turned to Piper. “Time to go in, right? And we get to find out why we’re here? And why my mom called, mentioning cake?”

“Yes, Percy. You will get a hint.”

“A hint?” He complained as Piper quietly pulled the door open.

“Now shush. Nico, you awake?” She asked softly as she walked in. Following behind, he couldn’t help but feel anxiety seeing the IV in his arm and drains in his chest. He never expected his first time seeing Nico shirtless would look like this.

“Pipyyyy! Look what they diiid! Isn’ i’ great?”

Piper laughed as a horrified Percy walked in, followed by an analytical Will, trying to piece together the situation.

“I thought you guys said it was nothing bad!”

“Huh, Percyyy. Looky,” He called lifting his hand towards his chest, cringing when he accidentally hit it. “Ouchy. Bu’ Pe-Pe-Percy.” Nico looked drunk as he turned to face Percy. “They’re gone. They’re gone bruh. Ma tatas are gone!” Percy continued to stare at him in concern. “Pi’ please tell ‘im. Too too dumbo.”

“Hey-”

“I think what he means,” Will interrupted, “is that - if I’m understanding right - Nico has just undergone top surgery.”

At Percy’s obvious look of confusion, Piper clarified. “Percy, Nico is transgender. He started taking testosterone back in February. He just had surgery to remove the fat tissue in his breasts so he won’t have to wear a binder anymore.”

“Ah! Well, that’s fucking cool, bro. That why you never take your shirt off when you swim or spar? That was probably as hot as hell. Now you won’t have to deal with that shit anymore,” He said with a smile. Jason was grateful he didn’t have a bunch of questions and scrutiny for a clearly very happy - if drugged up - Nico. He looked and found Nico trying to grin even though he probably couldn’t feel much considering the morphine. “Okay, just gonna make sure I’m understanding right,”  _ Oh gods.  _ “You were born with the, uh, things.” He held his hands as if he were cupping his imaginary boobs. “And now they’re gone?”

Nico giggled, and Jason debated clarifying, but Nico started first. “Sillyy boy. I did not come ou’ the- the um- the stomach home wit’ da boobies. Theyy got there later.”

Jason wasn’t the only person who snickered at Nico’s improvised word for womb. Luckily, Percy just smiled instead of defending himself.

Now it was Will’s turn to talk. “Nico, my… friend,” everyone but Nico noticed the hesitant pause. Nico was still busy staring at his chest. “I’m so proud of you. But you know you could’ve come to me with this.” At Piper’s glare, he corrected himself. “Sorry, I understand why you didn’t,” At this point, Nico had finally given his limited attention to Will. “But, if I had known, you know damn well I would have reminded you to bind safer.”

Jason, Piper, and Percy all rolled their eyes. Nico probably would have, too, but for now he just kept his little dopey smile. “I love youuu,” he droned. “Mm! And you and you, and you,” He added, pointing at Piper, Jason, and Percy, respectively.

Jason shook his head in disbelief at how open Nico was being. “I’m gonna hug the shit out of you later, Neeks.”

“Seriously, bro. If Sparky gets a hug, then so do Blondie and I,” Percy chimed in.

“Duuhh. And Pipey! And- n’ Reynnna.” Nico’s smile suddenly dropped while he searched the room, “Where is Reyna?” He asked, his voice wavering like he was going to cry. “I want to tell her about these things,” he said, gesturing either to his chest in general or possibly the drains specifically. He looked at Piper with puppy-dog eyes. “Can I tell her?”

“Of course. Give me a second to set up the call and we can surprise her, okay? I know she’s been waiting for us, she just doesn’t know why yet. She’ll be so happy for you,” Piper reassured.

“Yayy! I’m so happy for me, too.”

Then it was Jason’s turn to be surprised. For some reason, he assumed Piper would quickly contact Reyna so she could set up the IM from her end. Instead, she turned towards a small sink and clicked on a light, quickly creating a rainbow. Somehow Jason didn’t think it was a coincidence that the room was set up the way it was. Moments later, Reyna appeared in the mist. Like always, she seemed perfectly prepared.

“Piper,” with a glance around the room she added, ”And Jason and Percy and Doctor Solace and - oh - Nico! Are you okay? What happened?”

Nico turned towards Piper again, seemingly distraught again. “You said she’d be happy,” he complained.

“Well, tell her why she should be happy for you.”

“Oh!” Jason was pretty sure he saw him wiggle his feet under the blanket. Gesturing towards his chest. “Der gone. La tits are gone. Puf. Andato. Gooonee.”

As he expected, Reyna’s face lit up. “Nico!” She shared a rare expression of intense emotion. “I’m so proud of you. That’s amazing!”

Her words caused Nico to give another bright smile and him to wiggle more in happiness, like he couldn’t express it any other way. 

The joy only stopped when the door cracked open, and Jason panicked, thinking the nurse would somehow see the IM. “Oh, sorry. I’ll give ya’ll a few more minutes. Then I’ll be back up with his discharge papers.”

When the door fell shut again, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was the same nurse from earlier, so even if she saw, it was no big deal. By the time he looked back towards the mist, Reyna had recomposed herself, with the exception of her grin. “I’ll be sure to come by soon, okay Nico? I just have to find a time when Frank is able to handle things. I love you.”

“I love youuu,” Nico had time to squeeze in before Reyna ended the call. After, they sat a few minutes discussing their plans to get to Sally’s. Nico, Piper, and Will would take a cab, while Jason would fly Percy there, likely beating them by at least an hour.

Finally, the nurse came back in, holding a clipboard, pen, and a large packet of papers. “Alrighty, I’ll just need you, Nico, and Piper to sign a few things, then we can get you out of here. Sound good?”

Piper nodded while Nico made a loud hum of agreement. After reviewing and signing an excessive amount of papers, they were given permission to leave, with Nico being pushed in a wheelchair down to the waiting cab. Once they got him situated and Piper and Will with him, Jason wrapped Percy in a big bro hug and lifted them into the winds, both anxiously awaiting their arrival at the Jackson/Blofis home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: "And why my mom called, mentioning cake"  
> Google: "And why did my mom call me a cake?"
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thanks again to all those who read, comment, and give kudos. Y'all are the best.
> 
> Also, the final chapter won't be up until late tomorrow for reasons. Don't hate me :)


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